this is a novel with as big a heart as Mazie herself Independent Full of love and drink and dirty sex The New York Times A terrific novel, touching, funny and big-hearted - Monica Ali Fierce, feisty and moving, this is a fine portrait of an inspiring woman The Sunday Express Jami Attenberg's fictional reconstruction of Mazie's life is a bold departure from how historical novels are usually written. And despite being set firmly in the past, Mazie's experiences of grief, family, friendship and mental health are timeless and universal Observer Attenberg's novel reads like a very real portrait of the 1920s and 1930s. Attenberg's prose is sharp, fast-paced and economical, brilliantly channelling Mazie's vivacious character. Weaving together fictionalised diaries, writings and interviews, Attenberg has constructed an utterly convincing portrait of Mazie Philips, which is also a deeply moving portrait of New York as it passed through the First World War, Prohibition, the boom of the '20s, and then the terrible depression of the '30s.įascinating. Inspired by Joseph Mitchell's essay about Mazie in Up in the Old Hotel, acclaimed author Jami Attenberg's novel honours an extraordinary life and heralds a completely original approach to writing historical fiction. When the Great Depression hits, and homelessness soars, Mazie opens The Venice to those in need, giving them shelter and dimes for food and booze, and earning the nickname 'Saint Mazie'. After closing up, the nights are her own, and she fills them with romance and booze aplenty-even during Prohibition. She spends her days taking tickets, chatting with drunks and eccentrics, and chasing out the troublemakers. Meet Mazie Phillips: big-hearted and feisty, she runs The Venice, the famed movie theatre in the rundown Bowery district of New York City.

From the bestselling author of The Middlesteins comes comes this unique novel about a forgotten heroine of the 1930s.

Saint mazie